Frozen beverage dispenser

ABSTRACT

An improved frozen product dispenser wherein a product is placed into a cooled hopper and the product is then fed from the hopper into a freezing and dispensing chamber where it is frozen and dispensed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/199,423, filed Jul. 31, 2015,and the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter of this disclosure relates to an improved frozenproduct dispenser wherein a product is placed into a cooled hopper andthe product is then fed from the hopper into a freezing and dispensingchamber where it is frozen and dispensed.

Frozen product dispensers, generally, have been known in the art andhave been used to freeze and dispense a variety of products including,but not limited to food products such as beverages, ice cream, yogurt,and other food items. Such prior art dispensers have suffered fromvarious shortcomings and/or limitations.

One of several objects of the teachings of this disclosure is to resolveor reduce the identified—and other—shortcomings and/or limitations inprior art frozen product dispensers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SELECT ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

None of these brief summaries of the aspects invention is intended tolimit or otherwise affect the scope of the appended claims, and nothingstated in this Brief Summary of the Invention is intended as adefinition of a claim term or phrase or as a disavowal or disclaimer ofclaim scope.

The following examples are included to demonstrate preferred embodimentsof the inventions. It should be appreciated by those of skill in the artthat the techniques disclosed in the examples which follow representtechniques discovered by the inventors to function well in the practiceof the inventions, and thus can be considered to constitute preferredmodes for its practice. However, those of skill in the art should, inlight of the present disclosure, appreciate that many changes can bemade in the specific embodiments which are disclosed and still obtain alike or similar result without departing from the scope of theinventions.

As one of many possible brief summaries of the nature and substance ofthe inventions claimed herein, the disclosure provides an assembly forthe dispensing of a beverage comprising a face plate and a first augerelement. The face plate defines an interior space and a bearing surfacelocated within the interior space. The first auger element may bepositioned relative to the face plate such that the bearing surface isreceived within first auger element and at least a first portion of thefirst auger element is received within the internal space of the faceplate.

As another of the many possible brief summaries of the nature andsubstance of the inventions claimed herein, the disclosure provides adispensing mechanism for a beverage dispensing apparatus comprising (i)a barrel for storage of the beverage to be dispensed; (ii) a face plate,coupled to the barrel, the face plate having an internal surfacedefining a recessed space; (iii) a first auger element at leastpartially positioned within the recessed space of the face plate; and(iv) a drive shaft for causing rotation of the first auger element,wherein first auger element cooperates with the recessed space definedby the face plate to create a region of positive pressure to causedispensing of the beverage and wherein the region of positive pressureat the point of product dispensing is not bounded by any portion of thebarrel.

As another of the many possible brief summaries of the nature andsubstance of the inventions claimed herein, the disclosure provides anapparatus for use in a frozen food item dispensing machine comprising(i) a barrel for freezing the food item; (ii) a first auger positionedwithin the barrel, the first auger being mechanically coupled to a motorcapable of rotating the first auger; (iii) a second auger elementremovably coupled to the first auger element such that rotation of thefirst auger element will normally cause rotation of the second augerelement; and (iv) a face plate defining an interior cavity and anopening at least a portion of the second auger element positioned withinthe face plate interior cavity; and (v) a valve coupled to the faceplate opening; wherein the second auger element cooperates with theinterior space of the face plate such that opening of the valve anddispensing of the beverage will result in beverage flow through a regionwithin the interior space and bounded on at least three sides by theface plate and the second auger.

As another of the many possible brief summaries of the nature andsubstance of the inventions claimed herein, the disclosure provides aremovable seal apparatus for use in a dispensing apparatus comprising aring having an interior sealing surface and exterior sealing surface, afirst end, and a second end, the first end being opposite the secondend, the second end having a round edge on an exterior portion of thesecond end; and a graspable portion coupled to the interior portion ofsecond end, the graspable portion sized to receive a human finger,wherein the graspable portion having at least one tab, the at least onetab juts from the second end and the at least one tab extending outwardin a direction away from a center of the ring.

As another of the many possible brief summaries of the nature andsubstance of the inventions claimed herein, the disclosure provides afrozen beverage dispenser comprising a refrigeration system, therefrigeration system having freezing chamber coupled to a removable sealelement, the removable seal element having a circular element integrallycoupled to a gripping element, the circular element having an interiorsealing surface and an exterior sealing surface, a first side, and asecond side, the first side being opposite the second side, the secondside having a round protruding corner on an exterior portion of thesecond side, a gripping element coupled to the interior portion ofsecond side, the gripping element sized to receive a human finger,wherein the gripping element having at least one appendage, the at leastone appendage protruding from the second end and the at least oneappendage extending outward in a direction away from a center of thecircular element.

A method for removing a removable seal element without a tool from adispensing apparatus for inspection and/or cleaning, wherein the sealcomprises a loop element integrally formed with a handle portion, themethod comprising gripping the handle without a tool, wherein the handlecomprises at least one protrusion, the at least one protrusion extendingoutward from an intersection of the at least one protrusion and theremovable seal element and extending outward in a direction away from acenter of the loop element; squeezing the handle without a tool; andunsealing the loop element from a component of the dispensing apparatus,the loop element having an interior sealing surface and an exteriorsealing surface, the loop element having at least one round edges,wherein the at least one round edge is adjacent to the handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures form part of the present specification and areincluded to further demonstrate certain aspects of the presentinvention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one ormore of these figures in combination with the detailed description ofspecific embodiments presented herein.

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate at a high level an exemplary frozen productdispenser constructed in accordance with certain teachings set forthherein.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate various details of the product storage system inaccordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIGS. 3-4 illustrate one embodiment of a frozen product dispenser inwhich a single sensor is used to detect a first level of product inhoppers and a predictive control processes is used to determine when thelevel of product has reached a second, lower level in accordance withcertain teachings set forth herein.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate at a high level an exemplary frozen productdispenser constructed in accordance with certain teachings set forthherein.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary product refrigeration system of theexemplary frozen product dispenser of FIGS. 1A-1C in accordance withcertain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 7A illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary side-fillconnector and a freezing barrel of the exemplary product refrigerationsystem of FIG. 6 in accordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 7B illustrates a side view of an exemplary side-fill connector anda freezing barrel of the exemplary product refrigeration system of FIG.6 in accordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 8A illustrates a perspective view of one of various embodiments ofa seal element, suitable for use as a beater seal element, in accordancewith certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 8B illustrates a side view of one of various embodiments of a sealelement, suitable for use as a beater seal element, in accordance withcertain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 8C illustrates a sectional side view of one of various embodimentsof a seal element, suitable for use as a beater seal element, inaccordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 8D illustrates a section side view of portion of one of variousembodiments of a seal element, suitable for use as a beater sealelement, in accordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 9A illustrates a perspective view of another of various embodimentsof a seal element, suitable for use as a beater seal element, inaccordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 9B illustrates a side view of another of various embodiments of aseal element, suitable for use as a beater seal element, in accordancewith certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 9C illustrates a sectional side view of another of variousembodiments of a seal element, suitable for use as a beater sealelement, in accordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 9D illustrates a section side view of portion of another of variousembodiments of a seal element, suitable for use as a beater sealelement, in accordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 10A illustrates a perspective view of another of variousembodiments of a seal element, suitable for use as a beater sealelement, in accordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 10B illustrates a sectional side view of another of variousembodiments of a seal element, suitable for use as a beater sealelement, in accordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 10C illustrates a section side view of portion of another ofvarious embodiments of a seal element, suitable for use as a beater sealelement, in accordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary split refrigeration system of theexemplary frozen product dispenser of FIGS. 1A-1C in accordance withcertain teachings set forth herein.

FIG. 12 illustrates a control approach for ensuring that both thehoppers and the barrels of exemplary split refrigeration system of FIG.11 are properly cooled and that barrel freezing of the product is givenpriority over cooling of the hoppers in accordance with certainteachings set forth herein.

FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C and 14 illustrate one embodiment of a noveldispensing valve that is easy to remove and disassemble for cleaning,and easy to assemble after cleaning, without the use of tools inaccordance with certain teachings set forth herein.

FIGS. 15, 16, and 17A-17B illustrate an alternate embodiment of aproduct dispenser system in accordance with certain teachings set forthherein.

While the inventions disclosed herein are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, only a few specific embodimentshave been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described indetail below. The figures and detailed descriptions of these specificembodiments are not intended to limit the breadth or scope of theinventive concepts or the appended claims in any manner. Rather, thefigures and detailed written descriptions are provided to illustrate theinventive concepts to a person of ordinary skill in the art and toenable such person to make and use the inventive concepts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Figures described above and the written description of specificstructures and functions below are not presented to limit the scope ofwhat Applicants have invented or the scope of the appended claims.Rather, the Figures and written description are provided to teach anyperson skilled in the art to make and use the inventions for whichpatent protection is sought. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat not all features of a commercial embodiment of the inventions aredescribed or shown for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons ofskill in this art will also appreciate that the development of an actualcommercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventionswill require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve thedeveloper's ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Suchimplementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are notlimited to, compliance with system-related, business-related,government-related and other constraints, which may vary by specificimplementation, location and from time to time. While a developer'sefforts might be complex and time-consuming in an absolute sense, suchefforts would be, nevertheless, a routine undertaking for those of skillin this art having benefit of this disclosure. It must be understoodthat the inventions disclosed and taught herein are susceptible tonumerous and various modifications and alternative forms. Lastly, theuse of a singular term, such as, but not limited to, “a,” is notintended as limiting of the number of items. Also, the use of relationalterms, such as, but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,”“upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” and the like are used in thewritten description for clarity in specific reference to the Figures andare not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appendedclaims.

Particular embodiments of the invention may be described below withreference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods.It will be understood that each block of the block diagrams and/oroperational illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the blockdiagrams and/or operational illustrations, can be implemented by analogand/or digital hardware, and/or computer program instructions. Suchcomputer program instructions may be provided to a processor of ageneral-purpose computer, special purpose computer, ASIC, and/or otherprogrammable data processing system. The executed instructions maycreate structures and functions for implementing the actions specifiedin the block diagrams and/or operational illustrations. In somealternate implementations, the functions/actions/structures noted in thefigures may occur out of the order noted in the block diagrams and/oroperational illustrations. For example, two operations shown asoccurring in succession, in fact, may be executed substantiallyconcurrently or the operations may be executed in the reverse order,depending upon the functionality/acts/structure involved.

Turning to the drawings and, in particular, to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1Caspects of an exemplary frozen product dispenser 1000 are illustrated.For purposes of the following discussion, the product to be dispensed bythe frozen product dispenser 1000 will be described in the context of adairy-based food product, such as a soft service ice cream product or afrozen yogurt product. It should be understood, however that—unlessexplicitly so indicated—the teachings, disclosure and recitation ofclaimed subject matter set forth herein is not limited to food productsgenerally, or to dairy-based food products specifically, and that theteachings and disclosed embodiments discussed herein may be beneficiallyused in connection with other food products and with non-food products.

For purposes of easy discussion, at a high level, the illustrated frozenproduct dispenser 1000 may be considered as including four basicoperational systems.

Initially, the illustrated frozen product dispenser 1000 includes aproduct storage system that includes basins in the form of hoppers 0001and 0002 that are designed to receive and store the product to be frozenand dispensed. Access to the hoppers 0001 and 0002 may be provided viaremovable lids 0003 and 0004 and product to be frozen and dispensed maybe poured into the hoppers 0001 and 0002. As described in more detailbelow, in the illustrated exemplary system, the product storage systemmay include components to (i) quickly bring the product in the hoppers0001 and 0002 to a desired temperature, (ii) to maintain the product inthe hoppers at a desired temperature and (iii) to control the flow ofheat into and from the contents of the hopper so as to subject thecontents to various processes—such as a pasteurization process. Inaddition, the product storage system may include sensors and systems fordetecting, directly and/or inferentially, the level of product in thehoppers 0001 and 0002 to alert the operator of the frozen productdispenser when the contents are low and/or in a condition whereindispensing should be halted.

In addition to the product storage system, the illustrated frozenbeverage dispenser further includes a product freezing system thatincludes one or more freezing barrels 0204 and 0206 that receive productfrom the hoppers 0001 and 0002 and freeze the product for subsequentdispensing. In the illustrated embodiment, the product freezing systemalso includes a rotating scraper or beater positioned inside thefreezing barrels (not specifically illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C) that aredriven, in a controlled manner, by drive motors (one of which 200 isillustrated in FIG. 1B). Additional details of the product freezingsystem are provided below.

The illustrated frozen product dispenser 1000 further includes arefrigeration system that includes a compressor 0300 and a condenser302. In operation, the refrigeration system, provides compressedrefrigerant at a high pressure to evaporator coils within the productstorage system and the product freezing system to cool the storedproduct and/or freeze the product in the freezing system, and receivessaturated gas from the evaporator coils that is then compressed, passedthrough the condenser, and provided to the product and storage systemsto repeat the refrigeration cycle.

Further, the illustrated frozen product dispenser includes a dispensingand interface system that includes dispensing valves 400 and 401 and acontrol and man-machine interface 500. As described in more detailbelow, the dispensing valves 400 and 401 may be actuated to dispensefrozen product from the freezing barrels and/or locked out to preventthe dispensing of product. The man-machine interface 500 may be used topermit configuration of the frozen product dispenser 1000 and/or theinput of data that can be used to control the operation of thedispenser. It can also be used to provide notices and information fromthe dispenser to the operator of the frozen product dispenser.

It will be appreciated that the four systems described above are notnecessarily isolated from each other and that the placement of aspecific physical component within one system is to, some extent,arbitrary. For example, the evaporator coil used to cool the contents ofthe hoppers 0001 and 0002 could almost equally be considered part of theproduct storage system or the refrigeration system. The references tothe various systems contained herein should, therefore, not to beconsidered physical aspects of the described frozen product dispenser1000, but rather concepts useful in describing various aspects of thestructure and operation of the exemplary systems, methods and apparatusdiscussed herein.

As reflected most specifically in FIG. 10 the frozen product dispenseralso includes various support and shrouding elements that are notspecifically numbered or discussed but will be understood to form partof the dispenser structure.

Certain details of the product storage system are generally provided inFIGS. 2A-2C.

As reflected in FIG. 2A, the exemplary product storage system includeshoppers 0001 and 0002 which, in the illustrated example, are in the formof stainless steel basins. Each of the hoppers 0001 and 0002 is mountedto a common support panel 0009. As reflected most clearly in FIG. 2C,the edges of the hoppers 0001 and 0002 are raised and are coupled toraised edge of the mounting panel 0009 at a raised point. To avoid anysharp edges and for purposes of appearance, the interface between thehoppers 0001 and 0002 and the mounting panel 0009 may be processed toprovide a polished finish.

As reflected in FIG. 2B, each of the hoppers 0001 and 0002 is formed toprovide a low point 0005 and 0006 and a funnel-like structure thatnarrows towards the low point. Although not clearly shown in FIGS. 2A-2Can opening is provided at the low point of each hopper. This design thusresults in gravity feeding product placed into the hoppers 0001 and 0002to, and through the openings at the low points, thus allowing thegravity-fed filling of product from the hoppers 0001 and 0002.

In many applications, a shroud in the form of a box-like structure isused to surround the hoppers 0001 and 0002 (not illustrated in FIGS.2A-2B).

In certain embodiments of the illustrated dispenser, multiple sensorswill be used to detect the level of product within the hoppers. In theseapplications, one sensor will generally be positioned at a levelreflecting of a known volume of product corresponding to a level wherethe product in the hopper may need to be replenished. This level isgenerally known as the PRODUCT LOW level sensor. In these applications,a second sensor is provided at a level corresponding to a lower level ofproduct in the hopper and, in one embodiment, a level at which theproduct in the hopper is so low that dispensing of the frozen productfrom the hopper should be discontinued. That level is generally known asthe SOLD OUT level.

Alternate embodiments are envisioned wherein improved sensor system isprovided in which a single sensor is used in conjunction with apredictive system to provide both “Low” and “Sold-Out” levelinformation. Aspects of that improved system are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring to FIG. 3, two hoppers 0001 and 0002 are illustrated. Anopening in each hopper is provided to receive a single sensor 0007 and0008. The sensors 0007 and 0008 may make take various forms and can becapacitance sensors, infrared sensors, acoustic sensors, mechanicalfloat sensors or any other suitable sensors. In the illustrated example,the sensors 0007 and 0008 are resistive sensors whose output variesbetween two states, one corresponding to a situation where the sensor iscovered with product in the hopper, and the other where the level ofproduct in the hopper has dropped to a level such that the sensor is nolonger covered with the product to be dispensed.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 the sensors 0007 and 0008 aremounted to detect when the product in the hopper has reached known statecorresponding to a known quantity of product in the hopper. In theillustrated example, the sensors 0007 and 0008 are placed at a locationwhere, for each hopper, a known amount of product (e.g., one gallon) isin the hopper at the point that the sensor detects the absence ofproduct (i.e., at the time when the level of product first falls belowthe sensor). Notably, in the illustrated example, no “SOLD OUT” sensoris provided. The level at which the sensors 0007 or 0008 first detectthe absence of product is described herein as the PRODUCT LOW level.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, a predictive control approach is used todetermine if, and when, to issue a SOLD OUT notification. In general, inthis embodiment, various parameters associated with the operation of theillustrated system are monitored to determine if, and when, after thedetection of a PRODUCT LOW condition a SOLD OUT notification should beissued. The predictive control approach of this embodiment is generallyillustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 illustrates a control algorithm that may take the form of asoftware routine operating on a microprocessor-based controller for theoverall system. The controller may be part of the man-machine interfaceand control unit 500. In general, in the illustrated embodiment, thesystem will—after detection of a PRODUCT LOW condition—monitor thecumulative dispense time to determine if, and when, to issue a SOLD OUTnotification. In the illustrated embodiment, the control system sensesthe state of the dispense valve (e.g., open-dispensing or closed-notdispensing) using a reed switch and magnet positioned in the dispensevalve. (One embodiment of a dispense valve including these components isdiscussed herein below with respect to FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C and 14).Alternate forms of detection could be used.

FIG. 4 illustrates the manner in which the system will operate withrespect to a single hopper associated with a single dispense barrel. Ifadditional hoppers/barrels are included in the system the process willneed to be modified to account for the additional hopper/barrelcombinations.

Referring to FIG. 4 the exemplary control system of this embodimentinitially looks at Step 0010 to determine, based on the informationprovided by one of sensors 0007 and 0008 whether the hopper in whichthat sensor is positioned at issue is in a PRODUCT LOW state. If not(meaning that the sensor continues to detect the presence of product,such that the product in the hopper is above the PRODUCT LOW state), thecontrol system will loop back to Step 0010. If the PRODUCT LOW state isdetected, the system will set a variable (DISPENSE-TIME) to zero at Step0012 and will then determine whether the system remains in the LOW stateat Step 0014. If it does not (which would be the state in the hopper wasreplenished) the system will loop back to Step 0010.

In parallel with the actions described above, the system will maintain arunning DISPENSE-TIME count through the operation of the processescorresponding to Steps 0030-0032. These steps are executed on a prioritybasis by the system and, in one example, are executed every second. TheDISPENSE-TIME routine first determines at Step 0030 whether the systemis dispensing. It does this by determining whether the conditionsrequired for product dispense are met which, in the example, means thatthe Dispense Valve is in its OPEN state and the Beater is ON (meaningthat the dispense auger is operating to dispense product). If it isdetermined in Step 0030 that the system is dispensing, the DISPENSE-TIMEcount will be incremented by one-second at Step 0032.

Referring back to Step 0014, if the control system determines that thesystem remains in the PRODUCT LOW state, it will then determine at Step0016 whether the cumulative DISPENSE-TIME value is at a levelcorresponding to a SOLD OUT state. In the illustrated example, theDISPENSE-TIME value corresponding to a SOLD OUT state has beenarbitrarily set at 30 seconds for purposes of discussion.

If the control system determines at Step 0016 that the cumulativedispense time is below the time that would have depleted the volume ofproduct that existed when the PRODUCT LOW state was first detected(i.e., if it appears that there is still product to be dispensed), thecontrol system will look back to Step 0014 and the process describedabove will be repeated. If, however, the control system determines thatthe cumulative DISPENSE-TIME is at or above the DISPENSE-TIME threshold,which in the example is 30 seconds, the control system will then issue aSOLD OUT notification (e.g., by illuminating a light and/or, inembodiments where the control system has network connection, sending atext or e-mail message to one or more system operators). In theillustrated embodiment, the system will further lockout the dispensingof product from the barrel at issue at Step 0018 by activating anactuator associated with the relevant dispensing valve. An alternativeembodiment of the lockout is a software lockout in which the controlsystem will not turn ON the motor 0200 or 0202 whenever the dispensevalve is determined to be opened. Locking out of the dispense valveassociated with the product at issue when the amount of product in thehopper is at or below a level corresponding to the SOLD OUTlevel—despite the fact that there may still be product in the freezingbarrel—may be beneficial because: (a) it prevents the dispensing of aproduct that may have undesired quality characteristics; (b) it preventsover-freezing of the product; and (c) continued dispensing may cause thecompressor to run continuously.

The DISPENSE-TIME threshold used to determine when to put the system ina lockout state and/or to issue a SOLD OUT notification may be set in avariety of ways. In one embodiment, the DISPENSE-TIME THRESHOLD may bepre-set to be a fixed value known to provide a safe margin between whenthe PRODUCT LOW state is first detected and when the system reaches thepoint where Lockout is desired. For example, consistent with the exampledescribed above, a DISPENSE-TIME THRESHOLD of 30 second could be set.

In alternate embodiments, the DISPENSE-TIME Threshold may be setdynamically based on a variety of factors including: (1) the speed ofthe dispensing auger inside the freezing chamber; (2) the geometry ofthe dispensing auger; (3) the type of product being dispensed; and (4)the expansion of the product being dispensed upon freezing. The firsttwo factors are generally fixed with respect to a given dispensingsystem and can be set or configured once the auger speed and augergeometry are set. The remaining two factors—product type and productexpansion—however, are product specific and can vary depending on whatproduct(s) are placed in the hopper. Embodiments are envisioned wherethe product type and product expansion factors can be set by either: (1)having the system operator key-into an interface data reflecting thespecific product to be placed in the hopper (where each product isassociated with a given expansion value); (2) having the system operatorkey-into an interface data reflecting the expansion of the dispensedproduct; (3) the product container can include a machine readable code(e.g., a QR code, RFID code, or bar code or the like) that can be readby the system such that the product and expansion data can be looked upor selected; and/or (4) using dedicated fill-tubes/mix-tubes 0060 and0062 such that the changing of a fill-tube 0060 and 0062 in the hopperwill provide information (mechanically or electronically) either aboutthe product to be placed in the hopper and/or the expansion of theproduct to be placed in the hopper. In these embodiments, once thefactors set forth above are determined, the controller could calculatethe desired DISPENSE-TIME threshold.

Once the system is placed in a Lockout state, the control system willrepeatedly determine, at Step 0020, whether the system remains in theLOW MIX state. If it does, it will loop back to Step 0020. If it doesnot, which would be the state if the hopper at issue was replenished,the system will unlock the dispensing valves at Step 0020—thuspermitting dispending of the product—and loop back to Step 0010 torestart the sequence.

Hopper Cooling System

As previously discussed, in the illustrated frozen product dispenser1000, hoppers are provided for the receipt and storage of one or moreproducts, which may be food products, to be frozen and dispensed by thesystem. The food item may take a variety of forms but not limited todairy-based items such as soft-serve ice cream and/or dairy products.Because certain food products, including dairy products, can provide amedia in which bacterial growth can occur, a cooling/heating structuremay be included within the product storage system to cool the contentsof the hopper to a point where bacterial growth is prevented orinhibited and/or heat and cool the contents of the hopper to varioustemperature levels to perform a pasteurization process to kill anybacteria in the product and/or inhibit further bacterial growth.

In one embodiment of the exemplary frozen product dispenser 1000, theheating/cooling structure may take the form of an evaporator coil,spiral wound about each hopper individually or the two hopperscollectively, coupled to a refrigerant compressor, such that expandingrefrigerant passes through the evaporators to remove heat from thehopper contents and/or hot gas is passed through the evaporators to addheat to the hopper contents. Alternate embodiments are envisionedwherein unique evaporator coil shapes are used to promote efficientcooling/heating of the hopper contents and/or where thermally conductiveplates are used to increase the efficiency of the cooling and heatingoperations associated with the hopper contents. Aspects of one suchalternate embodiment are reflected in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

Referring to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C an improved cooling and/or heatingstructure for use in a product storage system is illustrated. Ingeneral, the illustrated embodiment includes product storage hoppers0001 and 0002, constructed as described above, and two serpentine-shapedevaporator coils 0040 and 0042. As reflected in the figure, each of theserpentine evaporator coils 0040 and 0042 is constructed such that themajority of the coil runs vertical from the top to the bottom of thehopper around which the coil is placed and the minority of the coil runsgenerally horizontally with respect to such hopper. Further, eachserpentine coil is constructed such that the number of “bends” where thecoil is bent around the corners of the hopper is limited to the numberof corners exhibited by the hopper. For example, coil 0040 is placedabout hopper 0001. Coil 0040 has three bends (0040 a, 0040 b, and 0040c). FIG. 5C is an alternative embodiment showing the serpentineevaporator coils 0040 and 0042 in a second configuration. Coil 0040 hasfour bends (0040 a, 0040 b, 0040 c and 0040 d) which is equal to thenumber of corners of hopper 0001. Alternative coil configurations couldbe used.

The use of serpentine coils as reflected in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C providesseveral benefits over the more traditional spiral-wrapped approach ofplacing an evaporator coil about a hopper. As one example, it isdifficult to ensure proper contact between an evaporator coil and a flat(or nearly flat) surface of a hopper where bends occur. Because the useof serpentine coils like those shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C results inminimal bends of the evaporator coil, the area in which it is difficultto maintain proper contact between the evaporator coil and the hopper isreduced. Further, the use of serpentine coils where the majority of thecoil is vertically arranged with respect to the hopper permits betterand more efficient cooling of the product in the hopper than would beavailable if the majority of the coils ran in the horizontal direction.

In certain embodiments, the serpentine coils 0040 and 0042 may becoupled directly to the exterior surfaces of hoppers 0001 and 0002through soldering, brazing, or mechanical techniques. In suchembodiments, thermally conductive paste or material may be used topromote the flow of heat to/from the evaporator coils and the hoppercontents. Other embodiments are envisioned where thermally conductiveplates are attached to the outside walls of the hoppers 0001 and 002 andwhere the evaporator coils 0040 and 0042 are coupled to the outside ofthese thermally conductive plates. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate one suchembodiment.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B, thermally conductive plates—forexample in the form of generally rectangular aluminum plates—are coupledto the outside sides of the hoppers 0001 and 0002. In the illustratedexample, of FIGS. 5A and 5B, two thermally conductive plates 0044 a,0044 b, 0044 c, and 0044 d are provided (on the outside of hoppers 0001and 0002). Alternate embodiments are envisioned where two plates wouldbe provided (positioned along the long sides of the hoppers 0001 and0002) or where a different number of plates are provided, such as eightplates for along the long sides of the hoppers and four along the shortsides of the hoppers. In the illustrated example, the thermallyconductive plates are affixed to the side of the hoppers mechanicallywith a thermally conductive paste filling the gaps between the plate andthe hopper material. In the illustrated example, shrouds 0050 and 0052(in the form of a box-like structure) may be used to surround thehoppers 0001 and 0002, plate 0044, and serpentine coils 0040 and 0042.

In use, the thermally conductive plates of the type illustrated in FIGS.5A, 5B, and 5C, both increase the effective thermal area of the surfacethrough which heat is removed/supplied to the contents of hopper andeven out the temperature gradients in the wall of the hopper. In use,heat will flow to/from the evaporator coils 0040 and 0042 through thecross section of the thermally conductive plate substantially easierthan through the stainless steel, air, or thermal compound. Thetemperature gradient on the surface of the thermally conductive platewill, therefore, ideally be minimal. Because the surfaces of thisthermally conductive plates are pressed up against the outside of thehopper walls, with thermal compound between the surfaces to promote evencontact area, the thermal gradient on the walls of the hopper will bemore even, translating to an even more even gradient on the insidesurface.

Analysis has shown that using a thermally coupled plate as describedabove in conjunction with a serpentine hopper evaporator coil, resultsin an increase in the minimum temperature that the cooled areas need tomaintain the food product within the hopper at desired levels over whatwould be required if more traditional evaporator coil placements wereused. This means that a frozen product dispenser using the describedapproach can be operated more efficiently, with less energy usage, thana dispenser using a more conventional approach can.

For example, using a standard wrapped-coil approach, the temperature atthe cooled area for a given system would need to be maintained at 26.49F to maintain a food product in the hopper at a desired temperature of41 F (in 70 F ambient). Under similar circumstances, using the thermallyconducive plate and the serpentine evaporator coil described above, thetemperature at the cooled are would need to be maintained only at 39.34F. That temperature is only slightly below the desired temperature ofthe food product and demonstrates the increased heat transfer capacityof the approach described herein. This means that ice buildup in thehopper will not be an issue with the described design. Further, theincrease in heat transfer capacity associated with the design means thatthe time required to cool a food product placed into the hopper to adesired temperature (or the time required to elevate the temperature ofthe food product during pasteurization) will be substantially reduced.

In one embodiment, the heat conductive plates are flat and the hopperevaporator coils are mounted directly to an exterior surface of the flatplates. In another example, the thermally conductive plates arerelatively thick (i.e., three times the thickness of the plate in thefirst example) and are machined to provide a serpentine recessed groovein which the serpentine evaporator coils are positioned. The primarypurpose of the machined grooves is to increase the contact area betweenthe copper and the plate and to provide more cross sectional area forthe heat to flow, therefore being less thermally resistive.

It will be appreciated that the described approach of using a thermallyconductive plate in combination with an attached serpentine evaporatorcoil is not limited to systems for dispending a frozen product but maybe beneficially used in connection with any device where a product mustbe contained in a holding volume where the walls are made of a materialthat is relatively thermally insulative but high rates of heat transferthrough the walls are desired.

Because the thermally conductive plates permit a high degree of heattransfer through the walls of the hopper, it is potentially possible—forcertain food products—to pour the food product into the hopper at roomtemperature and to rapidly and safely bring the thermal contents of thehopper (which will include the cooled product originally in the hopperand the added room temperature product) to the desired cooledtemperature. This rapid cooling operation can be used instead of thetraditional approach of pre-chilling product to be added to the hopper.

The rapid cooling operation described above can be accomplished by theuser of the system indicting—through operation of the man machineinterface 500—that a rapid cooling operation is required. In response tothis indication, the control system for the frozen product dispenser1000 can run the system to withdraw a substantial amount of heat formthe system by, for example, passing compressed refrigerant through thehopper evaporator coils for a longer period of time than would normallybe required to maintain the product within the hopper at the desiredlevel.

As described above, the product storage system feeds product unto aproduct refrigeration system. The product refrigeration system for theexemplary frozen product dispenser of FIGS. 1A-1C is illustrated in FIG.6.

Referring to FIG. 6, an exemplary product refrigeration system isillustrated. The exemplary system includes two freezing barrels 0204 and0206. Each freezing barrel includes an inner tubular structuresurrounded by a barrel evaporator and an outer tubular structure. Inaccordance with this design, for cooling operations, compressed andexpanding refrigerant flows into one side of the barrel evaporator,expands as it passes through the barrel evaporator and absorbs heat formthe interior of the freezing barrel, and exits the barrel evaporatorcoil as a saturated vapor.

Product from the hoppers 0001 and 0002 is fed into the freezing chamberswithin the freezing barrels 0204 and 0206 through side-fill connectors0208 and 0210. The side-fill connectors 0208 and 0210 are positioned atthe far back of the freezing barrels 0204 and 0208 and are arranged sothat product can flow, via the force of gravity, from the hoppers 0001and 0002 into the freezing chambers of the freezing barrels.

Details of the side-fill connectors 0208 and the freezing barrel 0204are shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. Side-fill connector 0210 and freezingbarrel 0206 will have a similar construction.

Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, freezing barrel 0204 is illustrated. Asdescribed above, the freezing barrel 0204 will define an inner freezingchamber and will include a barrel evaporator coil through whichrefrigerant (or hot gas) may flow. The inlet and outlet for the barrelevaporator are illustrated as elements 0212 and 0214.

As reflected in the figures, the side fill connector 0208 is a tubularelement that has one end coupled to an opening port into the freezingchamber of the freezing barrel 0204 and a second end that is coupled tothe opening at the bottom of hopper 0001 (not illustrated in FIG. 7A or7B). Through this connection, product will flow—via the force ofgravity—from hopper 0001, through the side-fill connector and into thefreezing chamber of freezing barrel 0208. As shown in the figures, sidefill connector 0208 may be constructed so that the end of the connectorcoupled to the freezing barrel 0204 permits product to enter thefreezing chamber within the freezing barrel 0204 at a point where theproduct will be flowing substantially horizontally with respect to thebarrel 0204 and to permit product to enter the side-fill connector 0208from the hopper 0001 at a point where the product will be flowingsubstantially vertically with respect to the freezing barrel. Thisarrangement is believed to allow for a very compact arrangement whereminimal space is required to permit the desired flow of product.

The compact arrangement of FIGS. 7A and 7B permits the use of directdrive motors to drive a scraper and beater assembly, referred to hereinas the beater assembly, positioned within the freezing chambers of thefreezing barrels 0204 and 0206. The use of such direct drive motors isreflected in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 6, beater assemblies 0216 and 0218 are positionedwithin the freezing chamber of each of the freezing barrels 0204 and0206, respectively. Each beater assembly 0216 and 0218 includes an endthat, as described in more detail below, is coupled to receive theoutput of one of the direct drive motors 0200 and 0202 such thatoperation of the direct drive motors 0200 and 0202 will cause rotationof the corresponding beater assembly 0216 or 0218.

The connection between the direct drive motors 0200 and 0202 and thebeater assemblies 0216 and 0218 is reflected in FIG. 6. For purposes ofillustration, only the connection between drive motor 0200 and beaterassembly 0216 will be discussed in detail. It will be understood that acorresponding connection will be found between direct drive motor 0202and beater assembly 0218.

As reflected in the figures, the direct drive motor 0200 includes anoutput shaft (not labeled in FIG. 6). That output shaft is coupled, viakey connection, to a coupling element 0220 that may be formed, in partor in total of ceramic material. The coupling element 0220 is in turncoupled, through a motor plate 0222, motor plate insert assembly 0224,washer 0226 and rear gasket 0228 to one end of the beater assembly 0216.A beater motor seal element 0230 is provided at the point where thecoupling element 0220 makes contact with the beater assembly 0216.

Maintenance of the seal provided by the beater seal element 0230 isimportant to proper operation of the frozen product dispenser 1000. Assuch, beater seal element 0230 must be a robust sealing structure thatis capable of establishing and maintaining a good seal under a widevariety of conditions. Further, removal, inspection and replacement ofthe beater seal element 0230 must be possible and, preferably issomething that can be readily accomplished without the need for tools orsupporting structure. FIGS. 8A-8D, 9A-9D and 10A-10C illustrate variousembodiments of seal elements, suitable for use as beater seal element0230.

The various embodiments of beater seal element 0230 reflected in FIGS.8A-8D, 9A-9D and 10A-10C all share some common characteristics. First,all embodiments incorporate features that can be readily grasped withhuman fingers to permit removal of the seal for inspection orreplacement without the need for tools. Second, all embodiments includeresilient members that, in use, can be tightly squeezed between theshaft coupling element 0220 and the walls of the freezing chamber withinthe freezing barrel in which the sealing element is positioned. Third,all embodiments are relatively complex in form and, unlike simpleO-rings, provide two sealing surfaces joined by a structural ring.Fourth, the features design for grasping by the human hand are alllocated closer to the center of the sealing element than to its outersurface, such that pulling on the features will result in a rollingaction that will tend to cause the sealing element to roll out of itsposition. Finally, in all embodiments, the graspable features areintegrally formed with the other features of the sealing element and aremade of the same flexible material as the remainder of the sealingelement.

These, and other characteristics, may be further understood with respectto FIGS. 8A-8D. These figures illustrate an exemplary beater sealelement 0230-A that includes a graspable feature 0231-A in the form of aring-like structure with a ring opening sized sufficiently large toreceive a human finger. As best reflected in detail in FIG. 8D, the sealelement 0230-A defines two sealing surfaces, 0232-A and 0233-A and astructural ring 0234-A connecting the two sealing surfaces. Thegraspable feature 0231-A is positioned closer to the center of theelement 0230-A such that pulling on the feature will be held in place,because the outer sealing element will be held in place in the barrelwall by an undercut therein (not illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8D). Similar tothe embodiment of 0231-A in FIGS. 8A-8D, FIGS. 9A-9D illustrateembodiment 0231-B that is similar in construction to the embodiment ofFIGS. 8A-8D, except that the graspable feature is in the form of acontinuous flat extending ring for the 0231-A embodiment. Finally, FIGS.10A-10C illustrate a third embodiment 0231-C. The graspable feature0231-C is like those previously described, with the primary exceptionbeing that the graspable feature 0231-C is in the form of threeextending tabs. For all of the preceding embodiments, like referencenumbers correspond to like products. For example, references 0232-A,0232-B and 0232-C all refer to generally corresponding sealing surfaces.

As described above, in addition to including a product storage systemand a product freezing system, the frozen product dispenser of FIGS.1A-1C also includes a refrigeration system that is used to providecompressed refrigerant (and or hot gas) to the barrel evaporator coilsand to the hopper evaporator coils.

In certain embodiments, the refrigeration is illustrated as asplit-system refrigeration that uses a single compressor to drive both:(a) the barrel evaporators and (b) the hopper refrigeration system.Among other things, this approach permits the construction of aneconomical, efficient, and relatively lightweight system. One challengeassociated with such a split-system approach is that the temperature andpressure requirements for the compressed refrigerant to be provided tothe hopper evaporators are different, and potentially, significantlydifferent from those for the compressed refrigerant and in manyinstances significantly lower, than those associated with the barrelevaporator. For example, in certain applications, the freezing barrelswill need to be maintained at sub-freezing temperatures (for thematerials in the barrel) while the hoppers will need to be maintained atabove-freezing temperatures. Such an application may require the barrelsto have a low-side pressure for the refrigerant on the order of 45-65PSI and the hoppers to maintain an above-freezing temperature, whichwould require a low-side pressure for the hopper evaporator coils in therange of 65-85 PSI.

In the embodiment of the refrigeration system of the described frozenproduct dispenser, an evaporator pressure regulator (EPR) is used toseparate the two low-side pressure zones from each other. In such anembodiment, the hopper cooling will run constantly at all times when thecompressor is running such that cooling of the barrels will also,necessarily result in cooling of the hoppers. This approach has adrawback in that it causes a parasitic type draw of refrigerant from thebarrel evaporators, this decreasing the amount of cooling beingdelivered to the barrel evaporators and potentially lengthening thefreezing time of the product.

In an alternate embodiment, EPRs are not used and the hopper evaporatorsare run separately from the barrel evaporators. This embodiment utilizesa shut off valve inline to the hopper refrigerant line such that thedelivery of compressed refrigerant to the hopper evaporators can becontrolled. This embodiment also utilizes a control system that givespriority refrigerant demand to barrel evaporators to ensure that thefreezing of the product in the barrels is given priority. In thisembodiment, whenever it is determined that the barrel needs to berefrozen, the shutoff solenoid to the hopper evaporators remain closedthus ensuring that all of the refrigerant from the compressors isprovided to the barrel evaporators. After this freezing process iscomplete and the controller determines the necessity, the expansionvalves to the barrel evaporators are closed and the shut off to thehopper evaporators opens. If the hoppers are in the middle of a coolingoperation, and the controller determines that a barrel freezing processis necessary, the hopper cooling is stopped and the barrel freezing isstarted immediately. Once the freezing operation is complete, the hoppercooling process continues.

Turning to FIG. 11, an exemplary split refrigeration system isillustrated. It includes a compressor 300 that receives saturated vaporand compresses it to provide hot, compressed vapor that in turn, ispassed through a condenser 302 to produce liquid refrigerant that isprovided at a high pressure state to both: (a) the input of a hoppershut off valve in the form of refrigerant solenoid 304 that determinesthe provision of the high pressure refrigerant to capillary tube 310associated with the hopper evaporator coils and (b) to the inputs ofexpansion solenoid valves 306 and 308, each of which is associated withone of the barrel evaporator coils. The hopper shut off valve 304 andthe expansion solenoid valves 306 and 308 are independently controllableby electrical signals provided by a control system (not illustrated inFIG. 11).

FIG. 12 illustrates a control approach for ensuring that both thehoppers and the barrels are properly cooled and that barrel freezing ofthe product is given priority over cooling of the hoppers.

Referring to FIG. 12, the control system will start at Step 3000 bydetermining whether the frozen product dispenser is in a Thaw Mode(i.e., a mode where no high pressure refrigerant is to be provided tothe barrel evaporators and/or where hot gas is being provided to thebarrel evaporators). If the dispenser is not in a Thaw mode—meaning thatit may be necessary to provide high pressure refrigerant to the barrelevaporators for the initial freezing operation—then the system will loopback to Step 3000 and await the first instance in which the system isplaced in a Thaw Mode.

Upon detection that the system is in a Thaw Mode at Step 3000, thesystem will move to Steps 3001-3004 where the refrigerant solenoid 304that controls the provision of high pressure refrigerant to the hopperevaporator coils is turned ON, the compressor 300 is turned ON, the fancondenser is turned ON and the hopper freeze timer is started. Thesesteps will result in the initiation of hopper cooling and/or freezing.The time associated with the hopper freeze timer determines the intervalover which the hopper freezing/cooling operation will occur in theabsence of the system exiting the Thaw Mode during the freezing/coolinginterval corresponding to the hopper freeze timer.

After initiating the initial cooling/freezing of the hoppers in Steps3001-3004, the system will move to Step 3005 where it again determinesif the system is in Thaw Mode. If it is in Thaw Mode (meaning that itwill not be necessary to provide refrigerant to the barrel evaporators)the system will move to Step 3006 where it determines whether the hopperfreeze timer has expired. If the hopper freeze timer has not expired,the system will loop back to Step 3005 and continue the process suchthat—if the unit is not taken out of Thaw Mode—the system will continueto provide refrigerant to the hopper evaporator coils and to thereforecool the hopper contents for a period defined by the hopper freezetimer.

If it is determined in Step 3005 that during freezing/cooling of thehopper that the system has been taken out of the Thaw Mode (e.g.,because it is necessary to freeze a barrel), the system will proceed toSteps 3007-3009 where the refrigerant solenoid 304 that controls theprovision of high pressure refrigerant to the hopper evaporator coils isturned OFF, the compressor 300 is turned OFF, and the fan condenser isturned OFF, thus halting and interrupting the initial hopper coolingand/or freezing. The system will then loop to Step 3000 where theprocess described above is repeated.

Eventually the system will reach a point where the initial hopper freezetime is determined to have expired at Step 3006. At that point thesystem will proceed to halt the hopper freeze/cooing operations bypassing through Steps 3010-3012 where the refrigerant solenoid 304 thatcontrols the provision of high pressure refrigerant to the hopperevaporator coils is turned OFF, the compressor 300 is turned OFF, andthe fan condenser is turned OFF, thus ending hopper cooling and/orfreezing.

The system will then proceed to Step 3013 where a hopper refreeze timeris initiated. The hopper refreeze timer sets a time interval betweenhopper freezing/cooling operations. After setting the hopper refreezetimer, the system will proceed to Step 3014 where it determines whetherall of the barrels are off. If all the barrels are off—meaning thatthere is no need for the system to provide refrigerant to the barrels—itwill proceed to steps 3015-3018 where the refrigerant solenoid 304 thatcontrols the provision of high pressure refrigerant to the hopperevaporator coils is turned OFF, the compressor 300 is turned OFF, andthe fan condenser is turned OFF, thus halting and interrupting theinitial hopper cooling and/or freezing. The system will then loop toStep 3000 where the process described above is repeated.

If it is determined in Step 3014 that one or more of the barrels is on,such that refrigerant is, or may be required to be supplied by thebarrels, the system will proceed to Step 3015 where it determineswhether the hopper refreeze time has expired. If not, the system willloop back to Step 3014, if so, the system will proceed to Step 3000where the process is repeated.

By following the control approach described above, the system givespriority to barrel freezing and cooling operations.

In addition to including the product storage and product refrigerationsystems described above, the exemplary frozen product dispenser of FIGS.1A-1C also includes a product dispensing system. In one embodiment, theproduct dispensing system comprises a dispensing valve and auger elementcoupled to the shaft of the beater/scraper such that rotation of thebeater/scraper (through activation of one of the direct drive motors)will cause rotation of the auger and dispensing of the frozen productwhen the dispensing valve is open.

FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C illustrate one embodiment of a novel dispensingvalve 400 that is easy to remove and disassemble for cleaning, and easyto assemble after cleaning, without the use of tools. FIG. 13Aillustrates a front or exterior perspective view of a novel dispensingvalve 400. FIG. 13B illustrates a back or inside front perspective viewof a novel dispensing valve 400. FIG. 13C illustrates a front orexterior perspective view a novel dispensing valve 400 with an optionalextruder cap 419.

Turning to FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C, the disclosed dispensing valveembodiments includes a face plate 402 that, in use is affixed to thefront surface of the frozen product dispenser, in the manner shown fordispensing valves 400 and 401 in FIGS. 1A-1C. A resilient generallyO-shaped seal 406 is positioned within the back side of the face plate402 such that it forms a seal when the face plate 402 is tightenedagainst the front face of the frozen product dispenser.

Operating in conjunction with the face plate 402 is an auger 404 that,on one end, is adapted to be received by the shaft of the beater/scraper(not shown in FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13) such that, when the beater/scraperis rotated by activation of one of the direct drive motors (not shown inFIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C), the auger 404 will rotate. The auger 404 iscoupled to the back side of the face plate 402 at connection 417 throughthe use of a bushing 408. The purpose of the bushing 408 is to allow theauger 404 to rotate about the bushing 408 (rather than a feature of theface plate 402) such that any wear resulting from such rotation will beon the bushing 408 (which can be readily replaced) and not on thefaceplate 402 (which may be more costly to replace). Connection 417 mayinclude grooves 425. Bushing 408 may include tabs 427 to engage withgrooves 425. Alternatively, bushing 408 and connection 417 may includeround surface without the tabs 427 and grooves 425. Other knownconnections methods may be used.

An activation handle 409, comprising knob 411 and shaft 410 is coupledto the faceplate 402 via a screw 412 that is configured with anon-threaded center section to permit the shaft 410 to rotate about thescrew 412. The end of the shaft 410 not coupled to the knob 411 isnotched to receive, in the fully-assembled device, a lower valve member416.

The lower valve stem 416 includes a variety of features includingnotches for receiving O-rings 421 and 422. Through the use of O-rings421, 422, the lower valve stem 416 is positioned within a tubularchannel of the faceplate 402 in a sealing relationship. A spring 418 ispositioned in the upper portion of the lower valve stem 416. The spring418 is held in place through the use of a dowel pin 420. Also passingthrough the tubular channel of the face plate 402 when assembled is anupper valve stem 414. The upper valve stem 414 includes features thatcan be removably received in corresponding receiving features of thelower valve stem 416 such that by depressing the upper valve stem 414into the tubular channel (and against the force of the spring 418) androtating the upper valve member 414, the upper valve member 414 can bematingly coupled to the lower valve member 416. In other words, theupper and lower valve stems 414, 416 may be locked together through atwist of the upper valve stem 414 such that molded pins 426 on the uppervalve stem 414 engage slots on the lower valve member 416.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the faceplate 402 defines a rectangular channeland the upper valve stem 414 includes an upper rectangular feature thatcan fit within the faceplate rectangular channel. Once the upper valvestem 414 is coupled to the lower valve stem 416, the connected valvestems can be moved to a position where the rectangular feature of theupper valve stem 414 fits within the rectangular channel of thefaceplate 402. Preferably, the length of the channel is such that, asthe valve 400 moves from its fully closed position to its fully openposition the rectangular feature of the upper valve stem 414 will alwaysbe within the rectangular channel. This positioning will prevent theupper valve stem 414 from rotating and maintain the locked status of theupper and lower valve stems 414, 416. A sliding cap element 424 may thenbe used to hold the upper valve stem 414 in position relative to thelower valve stem 416 such that, when the cap element 424 is slid inplace, the entire assembly will be held. Lower valve stem 416 may bepositioned such that it is flush with the bottom of faceplate 402. Thisconfiguration may allow a more desirable dispensing of the product fromthe dispensing valve 400. For example, it may prevent product fromremaining attached to the bottom of the faceplate at the end of aproduct dispense.

As shown in FIG. 13B, faceplate 402 defines a cavity 429. Cavity 429 maybe a formed from a transparent material to allow the product dispensedby the dispensing valve 400 to be visible. Cavity 429 may provide anaesthetically pleasing flow path for the product. It also functionallyshows the color of the product to the potential end customer. Theexterior surface 431 of cavity 429 is shown in FIG. 13A. As shown inFIG. 13B, faceplate 402 may define a notch 433. Notch 433 is designed tomore easily allow for the removal of gasket 406 without the use oftools.

As shown in FIG. 13C, an optional extruder cap 419 may be connected tothe faceplate 402. Extruder cap 419 includes an opening 423 shown inFIG. 13C as a star. Alternatively, extruder cap 419 may include asmaller or larger opening in a number of different shapes including forexample, an oval, a circle, a square, a diamond, half-moon or othershapes for marketing and creating an ascetically pleasing dispensing ofproduct from the dispensing valve 400. Extruder cap 419 may bereplaceable or swappable with a differently configured extruder cap. Inother embodiments or in conjunction with other embodiment, extruder cap419 may not include opening 423 so it may be used to seal the dispensingvalve 400. Extruder cap 419 may change the flow rate of the product fromdispensing valve 400. As another alternative, extruder cap 419 mayinclude a sensor to determine the status of the product dispensed fromthe dispensing valve 400. For example, the sensors could determine ifthe product is (i) being correctly dispensed, (ii) the correct color,(iii) the correct texture, (iv) the correct smoothness, or (v)satisfying some other characteristic.

A magnet 415 is positioned within an end of the upper valve stem 414.

When the components of the valve 400 are assembled as describe above andheld in place through proper positioning of the sliding cap 424,movement of the activation handle 409 will result in movement of thelower valve member 416 (and the upper valve member 414) such that apassage is created from the interior of the freezing barrel to theoutside. When this passage is created, rotation of the auger 404 willresult in the dispensing of frozen product within the barrel through thepassage.

Actuation of the valve will also result in movement of the upper valvemember 414. This movement can be detected though the use of a magneticreed switch (in one embodiment on the face of the frozen productdispenser) which will detect movement of the magnet 415. The sensing ofthe activation of the dispense valve 400 through the use of such a reedswitch can be used, for example, to initiate rotation of the auger 404and product dispensing (in the event that the auger 404 was not rotatingat the time the valve 400 was activated). It can also be used todetermine the total dispense time (from given time) which can be usefulin predicting Sold-Out conditions as described above.

One benefit of the construction of the valve 400 is that it can beeasily and quickly disassembled and reassembled for cleaning purposes.An exemplary process for disassembling the valve 400 is described belowin connection with FIG. 14. The process for assembling will not bedescribed separately as it is the reverse of the described assemblyprocess.

Turning to FIG. 14, the first step in disassembling the valve 400 willbe to remove the valve assembly 400 from the face of the frozen productdispenser by, for example, unscrewing the four bolts coupling the valve400 to the dispenser. The next step—Step 1 in FIG. 14—will be to removethe auger 404 and the bushing from the interior surface. This issomething that should be able to be accomplished by hand.

After the bushing is removed in Step 1, the seal can be removed in Step2 and the sliding cap removed in Step 3. Removal of the sliding cap inStep 3 will allow manual movement of the upper and lower valve memberssuch that the upper valve member (or upper valve stem as described inFIG. 14) can be moved to its highest position and removed by rotation inStep 4. Finally, in the final Step 5, the lower valve member (lowervalve stem) can be removed.

As will be apparent, the process of disassembling (and thenreassembling) the valve 400 can be accomplished by hand and withouttools.

It will be appreciated that the Steps 1-5 in FIG. 14 need not beperformed in the specific described order and that the order of stepsmay be changed. For example, it is possible to remove the seal prior toremoval of the bushing and it is possible to remove the various valveelements before the seal and bushing are removed.

FIGS. 15, 16, and 17A-17B illustrate an alternate embodiment of aproduct dispenser system. Like the embodiments described in connectionwith FIGS. 13 and 14, this embodiment utilizes an augur 404 that iscoupled to the shaft 452 of the beater/scraper positioned in thefreezing barrel. In one embodiment, the auger 404 is keyed to fit overthe end of the beater/scraper.

The illustrated embodiment includes a faceplate 450 that includes acurved inner surface that defines a bushing 454 and an inner doughnutshaped recess that defines a first inner curved region 456 and a secondinner curved region 458. The front face of the auger 404 is configuredto donut shaped recess. In operation, the shape of the auger cooperateswith the recess in the fact plate to define a region of decreasing crosssection as the auger is rotated. Rotation of the auger and thisdecreasing section will result in pressure being applied to the productand, in turn, to dispensing of the product when the dispensing valve isopen.

Other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects of theinventions described above can be devised without departing from thespirit of Applicant's invention Further, the various methods andembodiments of the methods of manufacture and assembly of the system, aswell as location specifications, can be included in combination witheach other to produce variations of the disclosed methods andembodiments. Discussion of singular elements can include plural elementsand vice-versa.

The order of steps can occur in a variety of sequences unless otherwisespecifically limited. The various steps described herein can be combinedwith other steps, interlineated with the stated steps, and/or split intomultiple steps. Similarly, elements have been described functionally andcan be embodied as separate components or can be combined intocomponents having multiple functions.

The inventions have been described in the context of preferred and otherembodiments and not every embodiment of the invention has beendescribed. Obvious modifications and alterations to the describedembodiments are available to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thedisclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not intended to limit orrestrict the scope or applicability of the invention conceived of by theApplicants, but rather, in conformity with the patent laws, Applicantsintend to fully protect all such modifications and improvements thatcome within the scope or range of equivalent of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A frozen beverage dispenser, comprising arefrigeration system having a freezing chamber with a beverage dischargeend and a distal end, the distal end having an end wall with a centralopening therethrough, a removable seal comprising a circular element anda gripping element, the circular element having an interior sealingsurface and an exterior sealing surface separated by a structural ring,a first side, and a second side opposite the first side, the interiorsealing surface configured to seal against a rotating shaft extendingthrough the end wall opening, and the exterior sealing surfaceconfigured to seal against the end wall opening, the gripping elementcoupled to the second side substantially adjacent the interior sealingsurface and configured to be grasped by at least one human finger toremove the seal element from the distal end of the freezing chamber. 2.The frozen beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the rotating structurecomprises a coupling element of the refrigeration system.
 3. The frozenbeverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the gripping element ispositioned such that squeezing on the gripping element causes a rollingaction of at least the exterior sealing surface to cause the removableseal to roll out of its position and unseal.
 4. The frozen beveragedispenser of claim 1, wherein the gripping element is positioned suchthat squeezing on the gripping element by hand without a tool causes arolling action of at least the exterior sealing surface to cause theremovable seal to roll out of its position and unseal.
 5. The frozenbeverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the gripping element comprises atleast one appendage that is curved with substantially a same curvatureas the circular element.
 6. The frozen beverage dispenser of claim 5,wherein the at least one appendage comprises three appendages, whereinthe three appendages are substantially equally spaced around thecircular element, and wherein the three appendages are of substantiallyequal dimensions.
 7. The frozen beverage dispenser of claim 1, whereinthe freezing chamber is coupled to the removable seal with a couplingelement.
 8. The frozen beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein therotating shaft comprises a coupling element disposed between a motorexternal to the freezing chamber and a beater assembly internal to thefreezing chamber.
 9. The frozen beverage dispenser of claim 8, whereinthe rotating shaft comprises an interface between a coupling elementdisposed between a motor external to the freezing chamber and a beaterassembly internal to the freezing chamber.
 10. A frozen beveragedispenser having a removable seal for a freezing chamber, comprising: acircular seal body having an outer resilient sealing surface configuredto seal against an inner surface of an opening in a distal end wall ofthe freezing chamber, and an inner resilient sealing surface separatedfrom the outer sealing surface by a structural ring, and configured toseal against a rotating portion of the food dispenser passing throughthe opening to thereby form a fluid seal for the distal end of thefreezing chamber; and the seal body further comprising a seal removingstructure disposed on a face of the seal body adjacent the inner sealsurface, and configured to be grasped by one or more human fingers fromwithin the freezing chamber for removal of the seal.
 11. The dispenserof claim 10, wherein the interior sealing surface is configured to sealagainst a coupling element disposed between a motor external to thefreezing chamber and a beater assembly internal to the freezing chamber.12. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the interior sealing surface isconfigured to seal against an interface between a coupling elementdisposed between a motor external to the freezing chamber and a beaterassembly internal to the freezing chamber.
 13. The dispenser of claim10, where in the seal removing structure further comprises an arcuatetab extending away from the seal body face an into the freezing chamber,and an opening in the tab configured to receive one or more humanfingers.
 14. The dispenser of claim 13, where in the tab is configuredsuch that pulling on the tab from within the freezing chamber causes thefluid seal to be broken for removal of the seal.
 15. The dispenser ofclaim 10, wherein the seal removing structure further comprises acylindrical body extending away from the seal body face and into thefreezing chamber.
 16. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the cylindricalbody is configured such that squeezing the cylindrical body from withinthe freezing chamber causes the fluid seal to be broken for removal ofthe seal.
 17. The dispenser of claim 10, wherein the seal removingstructure further comprises a plurality of tabs extending away from theseal body face and into the freezing chamber.
 18. The dispenser of claim17, wherein plurality of tabs are configured such that squeezing thetabs from within the freezing chamber causes the fluid seal to be brokenfor removal of the seal.
 19. A frozen beverage dispenser, comprising: afreezing chamber comprising an open proximal end for dispensing abeverage, and a distal end having an end wall with an openingtherethrough; a beater assembly configured to be rotatably disposedwithin the freezing chamber; a removable seal comprising a circular bodyhaving an outer resilient sealing surface configured to seal to asurface defining the opening in the distal end wall, an inner resilientsealing surface configured to seal against a rotating component of thebeater assembly, and a structural ring disposed between the inner andouter sealing surfaces and configured such that either or both of thesealing surfaces may rotate with respect to the structural ring; and theseal body further comprising a seal removing structure disposed on aface of the seal body adjacent the inner seal surface, and configured tobe grasped by a human from within the freezing barrel to remove the sealfrom the freezing chamber.
 20. The dispenser of claim 19, wherein theseal removing structure causes the one or more of the sealing surfacesto rotate relative to the structural ring to aid removal of the sealfrom the freezing chamber.